Supreme Court accepts Peyote Religion's appeal for official recognition

In a majority vote, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) accepted an appeal against a decision by a lower court that dismissed the Native American Church's case against the Interior Minister's denial of their request to be recognized as an official religion.

The judges argued that the Interior Minister's reasoning for rejecting the Church's request under the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship imposes excessive limitations on religious freedom.

The Interior Minister counter argued that the Church was unable to demonstrate that they fulfill several of the legal requirements needed to be granted official recognition.

However, the General Director of Religious Associations, which is a subordinate of the Interior Minister, questioned the Church's use of peyote and animal sacrifices in rituals. As a result, the Supreme Court said that the Interior Minister does not have the authority to question which practices qualify as religious ideology and that it must instead limit itself to verifying whether religious establishments meet the legal requirements for official recognition.

Consequently, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court that had rejected the Church's appeal against the Interior Minister's original decision.